Herut - The National Movement

Herut - The National Movement was a conservative political party in Israel that was active from 1999 to 2009. The party was founded by Benny Begin, Michael Kleiner, and David Re'em after they broke away from Likud over Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to cede territory to Palestine. In 1999, Herut, Moledet, and Tkuma formed the National Union, winning 3% of the vote and four seats. Begin resigned from politics due to the disappointing election results, and Kleiner, the new head of the party, pulled Herut out of the National Union in 2000. In 2003, the party self-identified as the "hawkiest on the right", and it failed to cross the electoral threshold, leading to party member Baruch Marzel (a former Kach member) founding the Jewish National Front splintergroup. Prior to the 2009 elections, Herut rejoined Likud.